Magical Michigan Memories

I just spent a wonderful week in Michigan visiting family.  I got to see my parents new home, which is nestled in a small community filled with beautiful old farms, many of which are owned by the Amish. 

 

During my stay I got to take a great walk through the neighborhood with my Dad, go shopping and out to dinner with Mom, antique with Kim and visit with numerous Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.  

Michigan in the spring is gorgeous - with green grass, fruit trees and LOADS of tulips that were just starting to bloom.

But best of all, I got to spend some quality time with my amazing nephews, who are clearly flourishing. 

Luke - thank you for your wonderful sense of humor and for inviting me to go to church with you.  What a special morning!

Nathan - thank you for taking such great care of Gramma and I, for making a super delicious dinner, for introducing me to Anderson Girls Orchard and for taking me to the antique shop.  What a blast!

Cody - thank you for being such a sweet, loving boy.  Playing and laughing with you at your home is one of my favorite memories!

I wish it didn't have to end!

Gutting the Airstream

Jordan and Thane have been busy working on the Airstream.  Since most of the electric and insulation were original (and thus over 60 years old), we decided to completely gut the inside and start fresh.

We removed all of the closets, bathroom, shelving, and insulation.  The insulation was the old stuff - super itchy!  

They've also ripped up the floor, and we found that there were only a few spots where the underbelly had rusted through.  Other than that, the shell is in quite decent shape.

We've carefully set aside the things that we can re-use, and we'll trash or re-sell what we can't.  In the interim, we are contemplating the new layout and will start putting her back together in early summer.  Stay tuned...

Adventure Is Out There!

 

Meet Ellie, our latest project.  During our extended family road trip in the summer and fall of 2019, Jordan and I definitely caught the gypsy bug and have been planning a somewhat nomadic life once Annabel & Thane have flown the coop.  While that is a few years off, we are looking forward to slowly rehabbing and bringing Ellie back to life.

Built in 1963, our "new" Airstream is 61 years old. Like most things in their 60's, Ellie needs some cosmetic work.  But we are OK with that - she has great bones.

And her name?  We got that from the adventurous gal in the movie "Up."  

Carl & Ellie's moto has become ours - Adventure is definitely out there!

Happy Birthday Jordan!

 

We got to celebrate Jordan's birthday this past weekend.  As he prefers, it was a quiet affair with a simple dinner, cheesecake and close family and friends.  He is closing out his 30's, and it is weird to think that this is the year in which he has known me longer than he hasn't.

He is our rock - steady and solid amidst life's turmoils.  While he is a planner, one of his greatest strengths is that he can roll with the punches when the unexpected rears its head.  He is a wonderful spiritual leader, and he loves his family deeply.  He is also one of the greatest hiking, hunting and travel companions around. 

We've had some wonderful adventures this year, and I'm very much looking forward to what God has in store for us in the coming years as we get closer to having an empty nest.  Life won't be boring, that's for sure!

Reindeer Games

 

We were blessed with another visit from Jordan's folks over Christmas.  As is tradition, we celebrated with fun games, including variations of B-I-N-G-O!

 

We spent a lot of time just visiting and relaxing, with a few social events to break things up.  One night we feasted at a Friendsgiving meal at Troy & Melissa's home.  

Two days later, us girls spent one super fun day in Billings shopping, antiquing and dining.  Meanwhile the men hung out - and Thane and Papa got to sneak away for some one-on-one time over lunch.  The days flew by way too fast, and we were very sad to see them go.  Thanks for the generosity of your presence and presents.  Until next time...

Sweet Treats

One highlight of my childhood was opening the gifts that Gramma Heydenburg would send to us.  As we got older, her family expanded greatly - first with great- and then great-great-grandchildren.  Gifting the masses proved expensive, so Gramma started to send boxes with, among other gifts, homemade bread and her famous boiled fudge.  Gramma always added a decorative bag for each of the kids filled with the same 4 things: a bag of M&Ms, a candy cane, a sugar cookie and a crisp $1bill.  While this may not seem like much, this bag of goodies is something that the kids very much looked forward to as the years passed by.  This December marked our first holiday without Gramma, and her presence is missed.  But to ensure that her memory lives on, Annabel and Thane each found a special bag under the tree filled with some familiar treats to enjoy.  This is a tradition that we plan to pass down to our grand children (great and beyond!)

Family Christmas

Maine friends Troy & Melissa were the last people that we saw before we moved from Machias.  Faithful friends to what we thought was the end, the Parsons showed up early the morning we left our farmhouse for our travel trailer adventure and a new life in Sheridan.  They helped us clean and pack up the last few things from the house and then waved us off.  If you would have told us that morning that we would all be living in Sheridan one day, we would have laughed.  If you said that we would be serving God together at a church in the mountain village of Story, we would have seriously questioned your sanity!

And yet, here we are.  What a kick it has been to be able to spend time with these precious friends that God surely placed in our lives. They are truly members of the family now and, as such, it was great to be able to spend a crisp Christmas Eve with them at church and then at a celebration at Grampa & Gramma's house.

We ate way too much food and laughed the night away - as it happens with family.